Conversation 574-015

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Listen, I'm glad you're here.

It's good to see you here.

And now let's take on a statement, too, so that we're talking about, you know, national affairs.

It's the last time we've been out here to have space together with Lester, and it's homecoming celebration down in Sullivan, Illinois.

Oh, in 25 years.

Yes, right, right.

Last membership card, if you were the guest speaker in this, yes.

It was 1960, in the summer of 69.

Lester's a great director.

Put up your chairs, all of you.

Put them up here so we can all sing.

Yes, sir.

It's a great call out.

Great call out.

All right.

Well, you're gonna have, I think, a very good year.

I want to tell you now that

It is my intention to attend your convention next year.

I did not attend your convention this year because I couldn't double up and go to two of Texas' seminaires.

So it will be your convention Saturday.

And where are you going to be?

We're in Chicago, Illinois, in London.

So you can go out all that.

All right.

You've got it on our schedule.

I will not do the BMW next year.

So, in other words, we, as you know... We have a little concern because our convention dates are right in our lap with the Man of the Republican National Convention in San Diego.

They're almost consecutive, so I think the end of the Republican Convention will be the end of ours, and we would normally have you in earlier.

So it's been working out, I believe, twice.

You might catch yours before, or could we catch it afterwards?

Couldn't catch it after the end of these.

Then it gives our connection.

You won't still be in.

But what I might do is we could try to hop into their convention on the way to California.

Well, this is going to take some very careful planning.

We don't know what we're going to do about it.

Right.

And then the other thing I was going to say to you that I know that you've been very helpful on our, our, our, our, uh, accounting issue.

Let me, let me say a word on that.

It's very important to the Legionnaires who understand that some say, oh, and the President talks about, uh, looking to the interests of America.

and seeing to it that our interests are protected as we trade with other nations.

That isolationist thought, the answer is no.

Only a strong America can be an international America.

Only a strong America able to maintain its military strength, having the economic strength to play a role in the world,

can help keep the peace in the world.

A weak America, economically, will inevitably be isolated.

Inevitably.

If this country becomes weak, as we become non-competitive, we'll build walls around ourselves, we'll turn injured, we'll pull in from all over the world, and who's going to be left?

So for America, America must maintain its number one position in the world economically if we are going to be able to maintain our position of number one from a standpoint of national security.

Now on the national security issue, we have presently before the Congress a terribly difficult issue.

It's the issue of the draft.

How did that vote survive?

47-36, I think it was, was the first.

That much?

Yes, sir.

And John and Bill were very helpful getting the senators this week.

Well, yesterday, we could have lost tonight.

We were behind yesterday in the... 47-36.

I think that's the vote, sir.

46-37.

Let me tell you that without the draft, America will be, I can say, catapulted.

Well, if they can get unilaterally,

without any treatment on their part, a reduction in heart strength, they're not gonna give us anything.

That's why I do know you sat through some of these things, for I'm up for ABM.

I said, for God's sakes, we've got that ABM.

In order to have a card in play, in order to have that to put a bill in there, I see them.

You know, they have those comments.

I believe you.

The Legion's traditional view of a strong American is essential at this point because there's disturbing trends developing as a result of this chapter about Vietnam and the frustration.

Get out of the world.

Reduce our strength.

Pay attention to the problems of America.

We want to do all those things.

But at this point, we have to maintain the strength necessary

that are for our negotiating position to succeed.

Like whatever position right now, I can tell you that you will see in the next two or three months some announcements.

I won't tell you what they are, but there will be announcements that will indicate new initiatives.

will be very hopeful in terms of saying, well, now maybe we're going to have some peaceful relations with America.

But none of them will work if America in advance says, well, we're going to get rid of the draft, we're going to cut our military expenditures by $10 billion and so forth.

So I cannot besides respond to the need for strong support from the veterans organizations, for strong

I'm preaching to the choir here, but you know, Newfoundland may get the impression that, well, this is a little weak to talk, but boy, the country needs it now.

And the country needs it.

They shouldn't tell me this, but get after those senators, and there are some Republicans, as well as them, that are just as bad as them, those senators that stick their head in the mud, and you know how it is, right?

Yes, sir.

They've got to get after these folks, I'm exposing them, because they can't take positions

We have here, Mr. President, a greater part of the resolutions that we adopted in our national convention in Houston, Texas, four years ago, and you'll find that there is strong support for what you have just indicated to us.

We do have this in our minds, and we're going to promote it actively this year.

this level into the United States, too, because we're going into a political year.

We have to do our work.

Now, let me say, I totally understand what you say about politics, but on the other hand, there's no politics that we can push on.

No, we're no politics.

We're politics, but we're certainly current.

I think you did a good job.

Dr. Jack, Ian Ray, a very fine young man, Jeff Donfeld, and Don.

Well, that's my focus this year on this whole town.

On the Vietnam issue, I would only suggest this, that after 45,000 lives, the important thing now

is not to throw up a towel.

And it was dishonorable.

And as I said, it was more than I think the Army accomplished its mission in the military.

It did sustain the nation.

Well, we have somebody who said, well, let me tell you something.

I said, the United States today provides foreign aid to 91 countries in the world.

If we were to cut off aid to those countries that had leaders that were not elected in a contested democratic election, we would have to cut off aid to two-thirds of those countries.

Now, as far as Vietnam is concerned, the congressional elections were fair.

As far as Tu is concerned, we can't force other people to run.

We would have preferred if they did, but they didn't.

But the main point is this.

Isn't it better to have a solid Vietnam with some elections than to have a communist

with no elections, it is in North Vietnam.

And also, isn't it better at this long last, after this long or two, for America to withdraw in an honorable way that allows the South Vietnamese a chance to defend themselves against guns, rather than to get out like that?

and let the country just go to the communists.

We really don't, because we just cannot, we cannot be untrue to the vows of the United Nations and the world of what she's spoken to.

I think that's why we dismayed, we did a bang on our position, so we just don't want to live in that world.

That's not what I'm saying.

Thank God, let me tell you that this isn't going to be an issue that will be particularly irritating.

as the time goes on, because when you come down to it, look at your casualties.

This summer, they were one-eighteenth of what they were in the summer before we came in, in the night weeks.

They were one-fifth of what they were in any previous summer in the last five years.

They were 14 this week.

Too many.

It was the only one.

But on the other hand, we've done it.

Now, the casualties are down.

The troops will be less than...

By December 1st, we'll be down to 184.

And then there'll be another withdrawal announcement at that point.

So the war is really over.

Oh, we'd like to take a concentration off of that.

And we owe them something.

We owe those folks something.

Oh, we want to build the respect back to the whole organization of military services.

Excellent.

But I strongly suggest, particularly the Army, the Army's in trouble.

And it's just wrong for people to, well, first to knock down the military.

We've got to build up the peacetime military circles and criticize the elements, but not the whole establishment, if you can say.

God, they pick up these proselytizing things and the rest of it and make it appear that every American that's served is a savage.

Well, my God, that's not true.

There are over two million Americans here in Vietnam, and most of them are fine, decent kids that went out there, did their job, helped this poor, struggling country get on its feet, saved 17 million people from a bloodbath that happened in North Vietnam, and we ought to be proud of those guys.

And around the world today,

I mean, it's tough.

It's tough.

Kids get abroad and have gold and women and all the other things that happen.

And it's hard to even be in Europe.

This is true of the rest.

Around the world today, it's the presence of American forces that keeps the peace in the world.

Without it, we wouldn't have it.

That's what it is.

And we ought to be proud of these guys, too.

The name of them is Pierre.

You know what I mean?

It's a hard case to sell if you're going to buy it.

Well, it depends.

Depends.

I don't know.

What do you think, Chuck?

It could be so.

It's every time I get a chance.

They expect me to.

But if you can, don't let the manager of people throughout the grassroots have that same feeling.

And I don't think, I can tell you what it is you think.

The press hammers that around.

I think, Mr. President, the fact that that vote today was 47 to 36 is a result of what you said yesterday.

You went right over the heads of the people.

And the politicians respond to that.

That's a very dramatic turnaround.

We have another concern, of course, with our Regents Administration.

We realize that they're passing on other burdens now with these drug abuse and treatment centers and so on.

And we want to be sure that they're fully sustained as we go into this second phase of the government's curtailment of employment and so on, that we do not have...

and over across the board, handily apply it to them, because I guess such a small part of their organization is involved with personnel, and they're widely needed.

If we take a cut through that, it would be very serious in the service level.

I mean, particularly in the Army.

Yeah, it's always like a 5% cut across the board, right?

It's serious for them, because they just now began to really...

I've got Don Johnson at Weinberg, the budget director, to personally discuss this with me, and we'll take a hard look at it.

We're going to offer lots of access to them on this drug claim, and I think between the agency, VA, and their new unit, we'll be able to reinforce them a great deal, but they still have a lot of professionals now that they've had on board elective.

There was a report that they would be cutting in the drug area, but that was untrue, and as Don said, that won't be happening in the drug area.

No, we haven't.

Of course, our convention is much concerned about elective.

I'm feeling sure that we'll get special consideration there, especially at this point in history.

That may suggest this, that for a widening communication, actually, I don't know, I bet you will write to Don Johnson.

Yes, of course, as close as possible to your predecessors.

But by the same token, when you've got something that you're really, you're really concerned about, you are right here in Washington.

Get a hold of Colson.

All right, well, because he's...

He does terrible things.

You know what I mean?

Some of these cut across political lines and other things.

And for the same reason, we'd like to feel we can call you on the same basis.

I appreciate that.

But you can be sure if you talk to him, you're talking to me.

And we'll picture the boo-boo right here.

We have a lot of other issues to do with it.

We have a disease increase in young people, and that's something most of us don't read too much about.

But our Youth Commission brought this up, and a very strong emphasis that apparently the thing has been sort of second-rated in the public's eye because of the...

While they feel that there have been programs that have been appropriated for, and the machinery is there, but it hasn't been turned loose on the area of the CBC.

Got it.

Because it's primarily, he's talking mainly among the service groups or young people.

But of course, our team, they do us a very promiscuous, we are the rules, he says.

I mean, after all of our contact and our chance for exposure.

But I, but on the other hand, I mean, that's going to be a, I'm sorry to reverse that, but this is not to have Dr., what's his name, Sanko?

Huh?

Sanko?

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

and H.E.W.

and all the mayors on it.

Oh, Duval.

It's Dr. Duval.

Duval.

Tell him that the commander raised this with me, and I'd like to report on it, and also get him to report on it.

I think he's got a lot of work to do.

He'll put us on your thing, and Duval is a fine doctor.

He's a doctor.

Arizona, and who's got a superb job in drugs and other areas.

But on BD, I'd like to know, does this thing, can it become fight or flight?

Well, I've heard this pretty so dramatic that it has here, too, that we don't have a concern that we should get at it right now and start educational programs and the research and medical backup that we need.

So our people have alerted us to it if we'd like to, you know, and have you know that we're watching closely.

How many, Bill Rogers was talking, you have about 500,000 BSNs.

We reported 425,000 this summer.

We expect that we'll go over half of it.

I hope you can get more in.

You know, I mean, I think it's good for them, basically.

It actually is a good training for leadership.

At least you stopped the thing.

You stopped the thing.

We're aware of that.

When I first joined the Legion, they were it.

And I remember the great guys in the Legion who were over my mouth.

So I practically go on World War II.

My God, it's 25 years since World War II.

We're welcome to stay out.

The second largest membership group is a bit in our group now.

It is.

They are the second largest.

And we're one of the two that's first.

And the Koreans are now dropping to third place in the transition era.

But if you could, I think it's just good for these kids to find a home, a lot of them, and give them responsibility.

They're coming very quickly.

As a candidate, I've traveled for two years at this office, and I've met a lot of them.

They're coming through the post in the district commanderships.

And we have a Hawaiian commander in Hawaii that's going to be able to handle this ship.

And I think we'll have the next few years several great violence.

What do you like?

You don't like to travel?

I like to travel.

I mean, I have to love travel.

Well, you travel, yeah.

But it is exciting to be with you.

I appreciate it.

Chuck will arrange that, and we'll ask you for a call later.

So I'm going to allocate a couple of crickets to pick them up.

You can stay here.

Now wait, give one to Henry.

He's an old friend of mine.

Now let's see, do you have a board to open?

I, I've been lobbied on that one.

Now for the, I'll give you a feature for the, for your watch.

Same thing for this boat.

Keep quiet.

Now wait a minute.

I wish I had something in some time.

Are you golfers?

I can't accept one of these.

This is very small.

Oh, great.

Oh, all right.

Are you a golfer?

No, I'm not a golfer.

You're a golfer.

Let's see if I've covered everything.

Okay.

Well, oh, no.

These are very special.

It's hard to realize.

That was 15 years ago.

Less than 40 years in Congress now.

He should lessen the present time.

He still plays golf now.

He's just driven.

He's got great power over that committee.